What is Fi like for you?

Hello! I always feel like when I start threads I should write them like a letter....anyways...

Can you guys describe what using Fi to explore and understand other people feels like? It is very odd and subtle to me, but the more I watch it the more I become aware of how it works and all the weird little info it feeds me all the time. But I explained it to an INTJ on another forum and he said it was "imaginary". Subjective, true, but not imaginary!

So I was curious as to how other people feel/experience/understand Fi to give them information. I would love more descriptions of the NFPs and feeling tones. I also have noticed a ton of INTPs and INFJs (too many to just be a fluke or misunderstanding of jungian functions) who note they feel Fi at at times and I would love to hear what that is like for them as well or any other type.

(with caveat that my Fi is probably much more externally affected than Fi doms')

resonation is a good word for it. i understand why some people use the word "tone". it's a whole body visceral sense of "knowing", more than an emotion. because there are some feelings that can't adequately be described in emotional terms. some are essentially emotionless, even though they do take emotion into account as information.

the way i think of Fi, is like an ocean inside of me, that reacts to atmospheres. i can create my own storms, i suppose the best metaphor would be an underwater earthquake (something in my core disturbing the waters) but it can also react to external wind, hurricane, etc. when i'm with another person, their "atmosphere" reads on my surface. Fi does pull in. it's self-referential. and that's fine as long as you're aware of it. to some extent the only reference point each of us has is ourself - to some extent it's presumptuous to think we could ever really understand things from another's point of view, or from a purely objective point of view. Fi is the aspect of our cognition that acknowledges that we are bound to our subjective viewpoints, and tries to use that, instead of escaping it. that can either lead to self-centeredness or self-awareness and wisdom.

importantly, i think it's not true that Fi always relates to my self. it relates to a self. for more mature people, this can result in deep intrapersonal understanding of others. the problem is that when Fi is immature, it can stir up the water so much that we cannot see beyond ourselves. learning to calm our own seas so that we can get a clearer read on others is extremely important for our growth.

as for picking up on others' feelings, it's a lot of elements in combination. it's the way they hold their body, their tone of voice, the way they move, the way they look at things, the way they interact, all the nuances of their expressions that speak to their overall feeling. so i can shift myself to meet them, which i think helps them feel more comfortable around me. because i am trying to understand them on their level. and then they will share more information about themselves, and i can either shift to meet them more, or i can try to help change their emotional state if they've expressed that whatever they're feeling is unpleasant (i try to not influence emotions if people don't want it). or i can use it for bad... to see others' weaknesses and exploit those.

Originally Posted by Jenaphor

F = Fucking
i = irritating

that's not entirely untrue

self-centered FPs can be some of the most annoying people ever.

to ourselves as well as to everyone else.

Last edited by skylights; 03-31-2011 at 01:57 PM.
Reason: left out an "of" lol

I agree with pretty much anything that skylights says. But yeah, resonation is the word.

Originally Posted by skylights

importantly, i think it's not true that Fi always relates to my self. it relates to a self. for more mature people, this can result in deep intrapersonal understanding of others. the problem is that when Fi is immature, it can stir up the water so much that we cannot see beyond ourselves. learning to calm our own seas so that we can get a clearer read on others is extremely important for our growth.

Yeah, it is important to see that even if a person gets rid of their ego, there will still be Fi, and it isn't just laying around doing nothing. I think that Ne and Fi are working pretty tightly together when dealing with people. Ne looks for cues and sees how they relate to Fi. So, the more you know yourself the more you know about others. This is true in reverse too.